Chapter 23 – Fire and Smoke

February 2nd.

Three days after the Rosefield game, the backlash began.

Not from fans. Not from scouts.

From inside.

In practice, one of the seniors—Marcus, a backup forward—threw a lazy pass and got chewed out by Coach Alvarez.

Marcus snapped.

"Maybe if you coached everyone and not just him, we wouldn't all feel like ghosts."

Silence fell.

Michael had just rebounded the ball. He didn't react. Didn't look up.

Coach didn't yell back either. He just said, "Then earn your light."

That night, Michael stayed late again. Alone.

Working on turnarounds. Jab steps. Floaters.

He didn't talk about Marcus. He didn't have to.

He'd seen this before.

Success always brought shadows.

[System Note: Internal Team Tension Detected] [Trait Activated: Quiet Leadership Tier I]

Next game: Westbrook Central.

They had two Division I commits and no mercy.

In the first quarter, Michael got elbowed in the ribs on a drive. No call.

In the second, Jamal got poked in the eye.

Still, they led by 6 at the half.

Michael had 13.

But at the break, the locker room was tense. Marcus sat with arms crossed, not making eye contact.

Coach stood silently. Then walked out.

Michael stood.

"You want the ball more?" he asked the room. "Move. Cut. Screen. I'll find you. You want recognition? Earn it. That's what I did. That's what I'm still doing."

He paused.

"I'm not the problem. Losing is."

Third quarter: the team came alive.

Marcus set two crushing screens. The bench was loud. Jamal hit three straight.

Michael barely shot.

But his fingerprints were on everything.

Final score: 78–66.

Michael: 14 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds. Jamal: 21. Marcus: 10 points, 7 boards, 2 blocks.

In the postgame huddle, no one spoke until Marcus broke the silence.

"My bad."

Michael nodded. "Let's keep it moving."

[System Update: Locker Room Unity Partially Restored] [Progress: 18.93%] [Trait Boosted: Quiet Leadership Tier I → Tier II]

They weren't invincible.

But now they were aligned.

Not because they avoided the fire.

But because they walked through the smoke—together.